The opening credits rolled and the pyro hit and we’re live in Des Moines, IA.

Batista will be responding to John Cena tonight in addition to Bret Hart addressing the WWE universe. WWE Champion Sheamus’ music hit and he came down the aisle for his match.

Sheamus vs. Randy Orton

The two locked horns as Sheamus backed Orton into the corner. Orton moved Sheamus into the corner and hit a right hand of his own and slithered away. The two locked horns again as Sheamus took the advantage, hitting some stiff forearms to Orton’s face. Orton fought back out of the corner with some shots of his own only for Sheamus to catch him with a boot and a lariat to the back of the skull.

Sheamus hit a knee to the back of Orton’s skull before getting a kick out on the cover attempt. Sheamus connected with a power slam and then backed off Orton looking for the bicycle kick. Orton dropped under, and tried to hit an RKO, but Sheamus pushed him off and scooted out of the ring.

****Commercial****

We came back to Orton in control, stomping away on Sheamus on the mat. As he controlled the action, The Legacy made their way down to the ring side area. Sheamus used the distraction to hit a one armed back breaker before laying some heavy knees to Orton’s neck. Orton fought back with some kicks and laid in a great looking pair of right hands before hitting an awesome standing drop kick.

Orton laid in a stomp or four to Sheamus’ mid section before backing off letting Sheamus walk into an inverted back breaker. Orton looked for an RKO, only for Sheamus to scoot out to the outside of the ring. Orton followed Sheamus and ducked under a lariat that caused Sheamus to crash into the ring post. Sheamus intercepted Ted Dibiase and decked him only for Cody to try and jump in and help his partner but get caught by the official. The referee caught him and DQ’d Orton.

Winner: Sheamus via DQ

After the match, Cody pleaded with Orton to tell him he didn’t mean to do it. After starting both down, Orton RKO’d Cody before Sheamus came out of nowhere and took out Ted. Orton dropped the Champion with an RKO and stayed in the ring as the crowd cheered.

****Commercial****

A video putting over the recent happenings in the Bret Hart-Vince McMahon saga aired before Bret himself came out to the ring.

Hart said it was no shock that Vince wasn’t here tonight. Bret said he’d be waiting for him at the airport, the building, the hotel, his car or wherever it was, so he could finish things with Vince McMahon. Bret said all he could hear in his head was that he deserved to be screwed. Bret thinks that Vince deserves to get the holy hell beat out of him. Bret said he had his heart set on things, but then Vince proved he was the bottom of the barrel again when it came to liars. Bret said he wanted to give him what he deserved at Wrestlemania and get that one, last win, but he guessed it wasn’t to be.

Bret said he just wanted to take this moment to let everyone know he felt welcome here and thank the fans for being so kind in having him back. Bret said in particular, he wanted to thank John Cena. He said he got live some special moments he owed to him. Bret thanked everyone and said this was time for him to say ‘good bye’.

Bret made his way to the back, shaking hands with superstars on his way through. Cena stopped him in the garage wondering if this was it. Bret thanked him again, but said he had nothing left to prove. He got in his car and Cena walked off only for a crash to be heard off camera. Cena came back to Bret’s leg getting stuck in the car door when another vehicle next to it rammed the car. Cena and paramedics worked on Bret, with the ambulance eventually coming and whisking Bret away.

****Commercial****

MVP & Mark Henry vs. Big Show & The Miz

After some back and forth with rights and lefts, Miz was knocked from the ring by MVP and we went to a quick commercial break.

****Commercial****

We came back to Miz bumping around like crazy for Mark Henry before catching him with a boot. Henry caught him however and smashed him with a World’s Strongest Slam. Show dropped a huge leg on Henry’s head and got the tag to save things.

Henry beat Show back with right hands and hit a big avalanche in the corner before attempting a body slam that became unsuccessful. Show climbed the ropes and boucne3d up and down before missing with a Vader bomb.

Henry hot tagged MVP who came in and hit some stick and move maneuvers on Show before getting throttled with a big boot. Show tagged in Miz who went for a hot-doggy pin, only to get rolled up out of nowhere. Great match.

Winners: Mark Henry & Big Show via pin fall

****Commercial****

It’s time for the Jerry Springer show on Raw.

Kelly Kelly comes out and announces that she’s pregnant. We speculate about who the Father is and Santino Marella comes out. Well Michael Cole was named and then so was Jerry Lawler. The Bella Twins are out, we’re dropping Lawler picking up girls at recess lines and now The Bellas are confessing to being trans-vestites. Masters and Eve are sleeping around on each other, now Khali’s here and I don’t know about life anymore. Mae Young is making out with Jerry Springer and I’m utterly at a loss of words as to what just happened.

****Commercial****

Ted Dibiase vs. Kofi KingstonThe two locked up and Ted backed Kofi into the ropes. Ted hit a knee to the gut and began stomping on Kofi in the corner before Kofi came flying back with a right hand. Ted whiffed with a right hand and at a German suplex. Kofi hit a big drop kick that left Dibiase dazed.

Kofi repeatedly laid in kicks on Ted before hitting the mat and sliding to the outside with Ted’ leg in tow. Kofi hit a top rope axe handle and some double chops before hitting a second drop kick and a flying lariat capped off by a boom drop. Kofi loaded up Trouble in Paradise, only for Dibiase to fall to the mat. Kofi missed the pounce in the corner only for Dibiase to grab him and clocked him with dram street for the win.

Winner: Ted Dibiase via pin fall

It’s announced that Antonio Inoki will be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame.

****Commercial****

Video aired of The Bret accident earlier.

A video pumping up the Elimination Chamber aired.

Jerry Springer gave us his ‘final thoughts’.

****Commercial****

John Cena’s out in the ring demanding answers for the attack from Batista. Batista showed up on the Titan Tron.

Batista said John didn’t want him in the same ring with him again. The two went back and forth briefly making fun of each other. Batista said he’d be on Raw next week and John might even get some answers. He completely blew off Cena again.

Triple H’s music hits and he’s on his way to the ring to face Cena.

****Commercial****

Triple H vs. John Cena

We came back to the match in progress. Triple H hit a high knee and sent Cena to the corner hard and hit some shoulder thrusts. After a big Irish whip that sprawled Cena out on the mat, Triple H tried to work him over with some punches only for Cena to return the favor and go for a kick out. Cena went for a whip/bulldog combo only for Triple H to catch him with a knee drop.

Triple H went for a second and Cena blocked him before kicking Cena off of an STFU attempt. Cena whipped Triple H to the corner and HHH did his over the top bump. Cena missed a charge and crashed into the barricade before Triple H attempted a pedigree and got back dropped.

****Commercial****

Cena fought out of a sleeper hold and built up some momentum with his shoulder blocks and then an inverted power bomb. Cena hit a five knuckle shuffle and went for an FU, only for Triple H to fight out and deck him with a clothesline for two.

Cena fought Triple H off the top rope and then looked for the leg drop, but the Game was able to crotch him before Cena could leap. They went back to the top rope and Cena fought off the super plex with the head butt and nailed the leg drop for a two count.

Cena looked for another STFU, but Triple H stayed on his back and fought Cena back and slapped on a half crab. Cena countered out and slapped on an STFU. Triple H barely made it to the ropes before Cena measured him for an attitude adjustment. Triple H grabbed onto the ropes before Triple H reversed an Irish whip and connected with a big running knee. Triple H hit a face buster after that and capped off the comeback with a big spine buster. He loaded up Cena for the pedigree, only for Sheamus to show up out of nowhere and pump kick Triple H in the face.

Winner: Triple H via DQ

Sheamus got knocked on his heels a bit by Cena before he loaded up Cena and nailed him with a pump kick. Sheamus picked up Triple H and leveled him with the crucifix bomb. He celebrated over the two biggest stars on Raw with his championship belt.

RAW THOUGHTS

Show Thoughts-- Kind of a weird show tonight. Lots of stuff to really like and lots of stuff to really dislike. I guess we’ll start with the bad here, so we can at least end with the good. The Jerry Springer segment was so ambitiously horrible, that it really felt like it was a shot at ‘something Russo would do’ more than it was an actual segment that was supposed to be entertaining. I mean we had Eve swooning for giant Indian pee pee’s, Twin hermaphrodites, a pregnant/skanky blonde chick, a pedophile, and old people making out. I’ve got no idea what that was, but it was weird.

The Bret promo was fine, but the angle that followed it was weird. Not so much that they did it as much as it seemed to be done in front of entirely the wrong crowd. Southern crowds like these kinds of things, but the Midwestern crowds don’t. Just seemed oddly placed.

The matches were pretty middling for the most part, if that. Kofi-Ted was all Ted. Good bumping, good selling from Ted; crappy offense and non-sensicle crap from Kofi. Cena-Triple H had a fun finishing run, but the first few minutes was just really boring ‘your turn-my turn’ stuff. Orton-Sheamus was probably the best of the singles matches, although The tag match was probably the best. The Henry-Show exchange was really good while Miz being overly opportunistic was fun. OK night for the matches I guess.

The good here was definitely the Batista- Cena segment which I’ve enjoyed quite a bit. Really great feuds are usually built around great moments….. moments which are also built to. There was build to the Andre-Hogan cross tearing segment back in ’87, and here it seems like they’re building to their next face to face confrontation… and I like it. Cena’s promos have been very good in recent weeks while Batista’s manly wardrobe and drunken big dude at the bar demeanor have been a great combination. I’m looking forward to this.

Overall, the show was decent tonight, although it had as many great moments as lousy ones. Elimination chamber should take a lot of the guess work out of the booking in coming weeks, so we’ll see how things look once that’s passed.